This beef stew is thick with a deliciously flavored broth and lots of meat and veggies. If you plan ahead, it can be cooked in the crockpot after the meat and veggies are browned in pan. If you need to avoid gluten, wheat or soy, substitute a flour that is safe for you and make sure to use Better Than Bouillon organic beef base.
Put flour, salt & pepper in large Ziploc bag. Heat oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Place meat in bag with the flour mixture and shake until well coated.
Shake off meat pieces and add them to the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned.
Add onion to the remaining flour in the bag. Add onion, carrot and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, to slightly cook the vegetables, about 5 minutes. Add parsley, thyme, water and Better than Bouillon organic beef base.
Cover and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
Add diced potatoes, carrots and onions. Cook for another 45 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
Start with boneless chicken pieces and make a rich, scrumptious, thickened broth to go with it. Â Then make some homemade noodles (or buy some fresh or frozen noodles) and cook them right in the broth. Â Fantastic!!
For making your own homemade noodles for this recipe, use 3 eggs, 1 T. water, 2 3/4 cups light spelt flour (or all-purpose if no wheat allergy)
Heat large (13") cast iron skillet over high heat. Add oil and chicken. Season chicken with pepper. Cook quickly, stirring often, until done. Remove from pan and place in crock pot.
Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic, and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Add flour and blend evenly.
Quickly whisk in cream, water, and chicken base until smooth. Add to crock pot and turn onto low until ready to continue.
Before adding noodles, turn crock pot to high heat. We positioned the Kitchen Aid in such a position so the noodles go directly into the crock pot.
Add noodles and stir to separate. Cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Recipe Notes
I reduced the amount of flour for thickening because I was using homemade noodles.  For making your own homemade noodles for this recipe, use 3 eggs, 1 T. water, and 2 3/4 cups flour.  If you are not using fresh homemade noodles, you may need more thickener.
Although spelt is an ancient form of wheat, most people with wheat allergies can eat it with no problem. Â However, it still contains gluten, so avoid spelt if you have a reason to avoid gluten.
Better than Bouillon organic beef and chicken bases are my favorite to use in broths because they are gluten free and soy free.
Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut carrots into 2-3" lengths. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop the garlic. After the carrots have baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and add garlic. Stir to combine. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Recipe Notes
We buy peeled garlic from Costco in a large bag.  Then it can be put in freezer and used as needed.
Thick, hearty and flavorful. Â You can substitute other kinds of seafood and make it into a seafood chowder if you prefer. Â I added shrimp and lobster in place of some of the clams in the 2 photos of the chowder in the pan.
Using at least a 4 qt. saucepan, add onion, fennel, carrots, parsley, butter and bacon to pan. (The photo is of a 4 quart pan with this recipe.) Cover pan and cook on medium heat until veggies are cooked down, for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, boil potatoes in a separate covered pan for about 10 minutes or until slightly tender. When potatoes are tender, drain and set aside.
Add cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, salt and chicken base to the veggie mixture. Add heavy whipping cream, and milk, and allow to come to a boil.
Drain clams and reserve 3/4 cup clam juice. Set clams aside. Combine reserved clam juice and cornstarch. Add to veggie mixture once it comes to a boil. Stir and cook over medium heat to thicken. Remove from heat and add clams and potatoes. Taste and add additional seasoning if needed. Serve.
